Wick Debinding of Molybdenum-Silicon-Boron Extrudates

Wick debinding was investigated as possible means of binder removal for the Mo-Si-B extrudates. With increased temperature the amount of binder wicked out of the extrudate increased because of a decrease in viscosity, 2513 mPa·s at 75°C down to 7 mPa·s at 250°C. The permeability of the binder in the 1 μm wicking powder was higher than that in the 0.05 μm powder, 3.1 × 10^?13 m² compared to 6.024 × 10^?15 m². The amount of binder removed at a given temperature was considerably lower, which could be attributed to the larger capillary pressure difference between the 0.05 μm wick and the extrudate (1.55 × 10⁵ Pa compared to 1.46 × 10⁴ Pa for the 1 μm powder). Wicking removed approximately 80% of the binder in <10 h at 250°C with no defect formation.